Massif Central and Pyrenees
Stages 10 and 11 were enjoyed by just our Grand Loopers out on the road. Stage 10: a lovely day out on the bike having enjoyed a rest day the day prior. The sun shone and we rattled through the stage in record time, leaving us with even more recovery time in the afternoon and evening which was important given the size of stage 11!
A cooler, slightly damp day but we loved the lush green of the under-appreciated Massif Central. Pic St Mary provided our highlight for this long, long day in the saddle (the 2nd longest of the tour).
Joined here by our 2nd Half Loopers, we were excited to see fresh new faces to bring a new vibe to the peloton. Stage 12 had another damp start, but glorious views throughout the day as the weather improved – a highlight being the beautiful town of Rocamadour that clings improbably to the cliff face. Stunning!
Stage 13 was a cracking day out on the bike as we hurtled in the sunshine South towards the Pyrenees. Joined for this stage were the plucky Pyrenees Loopers – here for 3 stages into the might mountains. This was a great lead in to what promised to be 2 much more challenging stages at higher altitudes ticking off iconic climbs, with the threat of more Biblical weather…
Stage 14 – an absolute monster of a stage and we were joined here by our Mountains Week Loopers. For those not familiar with the Pyrenees, they have a different feel to the Alps – more wild, ‘sauvage’. Often plenty of bizarre livestock on the mountain roads (goats, sheep, cows, donkeys, horses, even llamas!) which make for an often entertaining ride up, and a slightly more hazardous descent. Another cool, damp day (which many of us prefer for huge climbing days) with low cloud rolling in and out of the vistas which were made all the more moody and atmospheric for it.
This was a big day for ticking off bucket-list climbs: Tourmalet with the iconic ‘Giant’ statue on the top, the gorgeous Hourquette d’Ancizan and finally the Pla d’Adet. It was seriously tough, but the riders did superbly well and should be incredibly proud of themselves – they’ve earned every penny that their brilliant sponsors have donated.
The final stage of the Pyrenees trio was stage 15. Another huge day with a mountain top finish. Mercifully, a truly horrific weather report gradually improved until despite a chilly start, turned into a beauty of a day with bright sunshine and blue skies once more. As if 3 big cols yesterday wasn’t enough, this stage tackled 5(!): Col de Peyresourde, Col de Menté, Col de Portet-d’Aspet, Col d’Agnes and Plateau de Beilles. Not for the faint hearted! What a climax for our heroic Pyrenees Loopers. Chapeau!
And so this brings us to our 2nd and final rest day before we reach Nice. We asked lead cycling Ben Davies for his thoughts at this stage of the 2024 Tour:
“After 5 stages with highlights including the Massif Central and Pyrenees, we will be making our way back to the Alps for some exciting stages. The Tour de France is unique this year, culminating in Nice instead of Paris (thanks to the Olympics), we we’re really looking forward to what the route has in store for us.
Our brilliant Loopers continue to ride incredibly, showing humour and drive through some tough weather conditions and thriving in the mountainous terrain. Our rest day comes at an opportune moment to refresh the batteries (and do the laundry!). Spirits are high!”.
Bravo to all our wonderful riders who’ve bravely risen to the occasion on every stage of this tough tour. You’re all heroes and of course the fundraising figure continues to climb … we’ve reached £494,000 – will we hit the golden £500,000 by Nice!???
Vive Le Tour!
